The present invention relates to an adhesive dispenser, and more particularly to a glue applicator tip specially designed for dispensing adhesive into the groove of a grooved flooring plank.
To properly install most tongue-and-groove laminate flooring planks, particularly those made with medium density fiber (MDF) and high density fiber (HDF) board, a good adhesive and proper application of adhesive is necessary. The adhesive plays a vital role in laminate floor performance. The adhesive acts as a bonding agent to hold adjacent planks together and also acts like a grout sealer between the planks to keep water and dirt from getting in-between the planks.
Most bottles of adhesive for laminate floor installations are standard sized 16 oz. bottles having a round coned top. The top can be cut off at a specific angle and a certain height to allow the adhesive to flow through the tip. Depending on how the tip is cut, an improper angle or an improper opening size can result, causing problems with delivering too much or too little adhesive, and the adhesive may contact undesirable portions of the groove and/or plank. In addition, it is up to the floor installer to regulate how the tip is positioned with respect to the groove and how much pressure is used to squeeze the adhesive out of the bottle. Other commercially available glue dispenser caps are rectangular but are used like coned tops. Rectangular tops also have problems with positioning along the plank edge and controlling the amount of adhesive and placement of adhesive exactly where it is needed.
With the improper placement or improper amount of adhesive, problems can arise with the installation of laminate flooring planks including problems with installation and with floor performance. Excessive adhesive makes it difficult to push adjacent planks together due to hydrostatic pressure, which can lead to gaps between adjacent planks. Gaps can create excess swelling along the plank edges due to water pick-up. Gaps can also trap dirt and create black lines along the planks. In addition, the application of excessive amounts of adhesive can also be very messy and requires increased clean-up time. Excess water from excess water-based adhesive can also create swelling on the plank edges.
A need exists for an adhesive dispenser that consistently and repeatably provides a bead of adhesive at a proper location and in a proper amount along the groove of a grooved flooring plank.
The present invention provides an adhesive dispenser which is particularly well suited for dispensing a proper amount of adhesive to a proper location in a groove of a grooved flooring plank while overcoming the problems associated with the prior glue applicators discussed above. To achieve these objectives, an adhesive dispenser with an adhesive applicator tip is provided according to the present invention, wherein the tip is specially designed for precise dispensing of adhesive into the groove of a grooved flooring plank. The dispenser tip preferably includes a specially designed channeling system that limits the application of glue only to certain desirable locations along the flooring plank groove. The adhesive dispenser of the present invention provides optimal bonding between adjacent grooved flooring planks with a minimum amount of glue while at the same time minimizing plank swelling by reducing the application of excessive amounts of adhesive. The adhesive dispenser of the present invention facilitates grooved flooring plank installations and reduces adhesive waste.
These and other features of the present invention are achieve according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein an adhesive dispenser has a body having a reservoir containing an adhesive and a specially designed dispensing tip. The reservoir can be in communication with a supply of adhesive, such as a 16 oz. bottle of flooring adhesive. The tip has a fixed orifice opening and requires no cutting to create an opening. The tip has a constant length which can be used to apply the adhesive at a certain distance spaced from the deepest portion of a flooring plank groove and eliminates any guess work regarding how deep to insert the tip into the groove. The tip also has a projecting lip in the form of an alignment bead at the distal end of the tip, opposite the dispenser body. The projecting lip maintains the end of the tip at a desired distance spaced from the top surface of the groove. The projecting lip also extends substantially across the width of the guide member in a direction parallel to the second direction. The tip design provides for a constant gap between the tip and the floor plank groove that does not change during application such that the adhesive application rate on the groove will not vary.
The adhesive dispenser tip also includes a guide member that extends in a first direction away from the body and is shaped to fit within the groove of a floor board. The guide member has opposing top and bottom surfaces and opposing end surfaces. The tip orifice is in communication with the reservoir. An elongated channel is also provided between or adjacent to the guide member and the orifice. The elongated channel extends in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The elongated channel preferably has a substantially arch-shaped cross-section, for example, a segment of a circle that is from about 250xc2x0 to about 260xc2x0. The orifice comprises an opening that is at least partially formed in the side wall of the elongated channel. Preferably, the channel merges with and is continuous with the top surface of the guide member.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present application, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to further explain the principles of the present invention.